Cedric Paquette | Center | #13

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Cedric Paquette needed just 19 seconds to open the scoring in Saturday's 3-2 Game 5 win over the Washington Capitals.

Ryan Callahan batted a loose puck that went off a Capital defender and right onto Paquette's stick who made no mistake with the puck for his first of the post-season. Tampa's fourth line continued its strong play, helping the Lightning win three straight and take their first lead of the series. Game 6 is currently scheduled for Monday night in Washington. Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan also scored in the win. May 19 - 10:03 PM

Cedric Paquette will play Sunday's Game 2 matchup against the Washington Capitals.

Both Paquette and Anton Stralman missed Saturday morning's practice but head coach Jon Cooper confirmed to the media that it was just a maintenance day. The Lightning will be looking to bounce back from a terrible Game 1 performance tomorrow against the Caps. May 12 - 2:43 PM

Cory Conacher skated in Paquette's place on the fourth line with Chris Kunitz and Ryan Callahan. We'll likely get an update when Jon Cooper speaks to the media after practice, but Paquette was probably just not there for maintenance. May 12 - 12:44 PM

Cedric Paquette scored two goals and an assist in Friday's 7-3 win over the New York Rangers.

This was easily his best overall performance of the season. Paquette's first goal tied the game at two, while his second of the night made it 4-1 for his team in the third frame. He also helped set up Dan Girardi's power-play goal in the final minute of regulation. Paquette finished the night with a plus-2 rating and a game-high six shots on goal in 12:16 of ice time. The 24-year-old has five goals, nine points and 41 penalty minutes in 52 games this season. Mar 31 - 11:07 AM

Depth Charts

Steven Stamkos had a quiet performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Stamkos had a minus-1 rating, one shot on goal and two hits in Tampa Bay's 3-0 loss to Washington. He isn't the only player on the Lightning who struggled on Monday night, but he will have to better in Game 7 on Wednesday. Stamkos hasn't earned a point in the last two matches following a seven-game point streak.

Brayden Point scored a goal and picked up an assist in Thursday's 4-2 Game 4 win over the Washington Capitals.

Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson and Point took advantage of a terrible giveaway from Michal Kempny to use some quick passing and beat Braden Holtby for Tampa's first goal of the night. Point then followed that up with a primary assist three minutes later when he fed Steven Stamkos on the power play for the Lightning's first lead of the night. Point has six points in his last three games, bringing his playoff totals to seven goals and 16 points through 14 games. He's currently in a three-way tie with Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov for the playoff team lead in both goals and points.

Johnson is up to three goals and eight points in 14 playoff contests this year. It was also his 50th career postseason point in 61 games. He's the fifth player to ever record 50 career playoff points with Tampa Bay.

Cedric Paquette needed just 19 seconds to open the scoring in Saturday's 3-2 Game 5 win over the Washington Capitals.

Ryan Callahan batted a loose puck that went off a Capital defender and right onto Paquette's stick who made no mistake with the puck for his first of the post-season. Tampa's fourth line continued its strong play, helping the Lightning win three straight and take their first lead of the series. Game 6 is currently scheduled for Monday night in Washington. Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan also scored in the win.

Anthony Cirelli scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

Cirelli extended Tampa Bay's lead to 3-1 at the 16:43 mark of the first period. This was the first playoff goal of the 20-year-old's career. He finished the night with a plus-1 rating and a team-high five shots on goal in 11:44 of ice time. Cirelli has accumulated two points in eight games during the postseason. Ondrej Palat (twice) and Steven Stamkos (empty-netter) also found the back of the net for the Lightning. The Bolts now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 will be played in Boston on Friday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed Gabriel Dumont off waivers from Ottawa.

Dumont started the season with Tampa Bay, but the Lightning put him on waivers on Nov. 21 and he was claimed by Ottawa, so this is a return to his former team. He has a goal and an assist in 30 games this season.

Ondrej Palat will be back alongside Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson in Game 7 versus Washington on Wednesday night.

Palat had been seeing most of his playing time on the first line since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. He had plenty of success with Point and Johnson earlier in the postseason, though, while helping to shut down the best players on the opposition.

Yanni Gourde moved up to Tampa Bay's second line in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Gourde played alongside Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point in the contest. He didn't pick up a point in Tampa Bay's 4-2 win over Washington, but the combination seemed to work and Point scored in the victory.

Chris Kunitz posted an assist in a 3-2 win over Washington on Saturday night.

The trio of Kunitz, Ryan Callahan and Cedric Paquette was the best for the Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. Paquette opened the scoring 19 seconds into the contest and Callahan's goal 33 seconds into the second period held up as the game winner. Kunitz's helper came on Callahan's goal and it was his first point in 15 games during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Nikita Kucherov contributed one assist in Saturday's Game 5 victory over Washington.

Kucherov had the lone helper on Ondrej Palat's sixth goal of the postseason. Kucherov has been held off the scoresheet just one time in his last seven outings. He has two goals and five assists during that span.

J.T. Miller is projected to play on the third line again Monday night against Washington.

Miller was replaced on the top line by Ondrej Palat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. He has been playing alongside Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn ever since. Miller has one assist in his last five contests.

Ryan Callahan thinks the Lightning's experience will help them in Game 7 on Wednesday.

"Your mindset changes, that's for sure," Callahan said. "Your nerves are a lot less. There's always a little nerves there knowing it's a Game 7, an elimination game. I think if you're not used to it, it could be a little bit of an overwhelming experience leading up to the game. So you're definitely a lot calmer and you try to rub that off on the younger guys too and let them know that it is another game. Obviously it's a big stage, everything's highlighted, but enjoy the moment. Not everybody gets to play a Game 7 in their career, especially in the Eastern Conference Final. So enjoy the moment, embrace it and go out there and have fun and play the way we can." Callahan in particular has a lot of experience to lean on, given that this will be his 119th career playoff game. Tampa Bay in general has gone far in recent years, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and Eastern Conference Final in 2016. By contrast, this is Washington's first conference finals since 19

Cory Conacher will be a healthy scratch in Game 7 against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

The 28-year-old has played in just two games this postseason and he's failed to record a point. This will be the 13th straight game that he watches from the press box. Andrej Sustr, Jake Dotchin, Slater Koekkoek and Peter Budaj will also serve as healthy scratches in this one.

Victor Hedman scored a goal and two assists in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.

It took 13 games, but the Bolts defenseman finally has a goal to his name in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His tally gave the Lightning a 3-0 lead at the 3:37 mark of the second frame. He also registered the primary helpers on power-play goals by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Hedman finished the night with a minus-1 rating, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in 25:08 of ice time. He's now riding an eight-game point streak. The 27-year-old is up to 11 points in 13 games this postseason. The Lightning still trail the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 will be played in Washington on Thursday night.

Ryan McDonagh logged 22:49 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 win in Game 5 against Washington.

McDonagh's playing time ranked on the Lightning on Saturday behind only Victor Hedman (24:50). He posted a plus-1 rating, one shot, three blocks and three hits in the contest. McDonagh hasn't earned a point in seven straight games, but he has continued to play a key role on Tampa Bay's back end. He helped the Lightning fend off the Capitals' late-game comeback attempt.

Anton Stralman earned an assist in Saturday's 3-2 win over Washington during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Stralman picked up an assist on Ryan Callahan's second-period goal, which held up as the game winner, when his shot ricocheted off the Lightning forward from a rebound and went into the net. Stralman has five points in 15 playoff matches this year.

Girardi was the unlikeliest of heroes for the Lightning, but he managed to come through in overtime. His game-winning tally was a little fluky, as it bounced off Bruins forward Brian Gionta before going off him and into the net. Girardi finished the night with a plus-2 rating, one shot on goal, four hits and four blocked shots in 21:12 of ice time. The 34-year-old has two goals and three points in nine games this postseason. The Bolts now lead this best-of-seven series 3-1. They'll have a chance to eliminate the Bruins in Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.

Braydon Coburn recorded his second point in 13 playoff contests on Tuesday night.

Coburn picked up his second assist of the postseason on a goal by Brayden Point in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. He also had one hit and two blocks in 12:47 of ice time. Coburn hadn't earned a point since Game 4 against New Jersey in the first round.

Jake Dotchin will be a healthy scratch in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Washington Capitals.

Dotchin played in 48 games during the regular season, but he hasn't played in a single playoff contest in 2018. He had 11 points and a plus-17 rating in 2017-18. Andrej Sustr, Slater Koekkoek, Cory Conacher and Peter Budaj will also watch the game from the press box.

Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 22 shots in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Bolts had home-ice advantage in Game 7, but they were unable to use that to their advantage. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring at the 1:02 mark of the first period and the Lightning were never able to recover in this one. The most disappointing thing for them is that they failed to score a single goal in the final two games of the series. Vasilevskiy ends the postseason with an 11-6 record, a 2.58 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. The Lightning had a huge bounce back year after failing to make the playoffs last year, but failing to reach the Stanley Cup Final will be a huge disappointment for this talented squad.

Peter Budaj will be a healthy scratch in Thursday's game against the New York Islanders.

Budaj continues to serve as his team's third goaltender for now. Louis Domingue will be Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup tonight. Budaj has a 3-3-1 record with a 3.76 goals-against-average and a .876 save percentage this season. Cedric Paquette, Slater Koekkoek, Jake Dotchin and Cory Conacher are also expected to watch the game from the press box.

Louis Domingue turned aside all seven shots he faced in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Lightning dug themselves into a 4-0 hole after two periods, so head coach Jon Cooper decided to give starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy a breather in the third period. This was the first appearance of the postseason for Domingue, who hadn't seen game action since Apr. 7. If he keeps getting ice time, it probably means that the Lightning are in trouble.